Officer who fatally shot Kimani Gray earns ‘Cop of the Year’ award

5/8/2014, 10:39 a.m.

It may as well be a slap in the face for the family of Kimani Gray as the police officer who fatally shot the 16-year-old receives a “Cop of the Year” award from his fellow officers.

Reports indicate that Sgt. Mourad Mourad is receiving the award at the NYPD Muslim Officers Society scholarship dinner this week. One of his fellow officers cited Mourad’s good arrest record as a factor in the decision and said that Gray’s shooting should not be used to condemn the officer.

In March 2013, Mourad, a nine-year NYPD veteran, and his partner shot and killed Gray in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, when they said Gray flashed a gun in front of them. Mourad is still on the force and was not charged.

While his arrest record is labeled as good, Mourad’s record when it comes police shootings isn’t the greatest. According to reports, he was named in three federal lawsuits for violating civil rights along with a shooting in 2011.

Former Brooklyn City Councilman Charles Barron has been in close contact with Gray’s family, and his mother, Carol Gray, is “outraged” by the award.

“It’s an insult to the family and the community,” Barron said. “This is a disregard for Black life. The decision should have been put on hold until an investigation is complete. There has been a pattern in the Police Department to reward cops who killed our Black youth. It sends out a bad message.”

Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson is still deciding whether to present evidence to a grand jury on the case. Questions still linger if Gray even had a gun, as the officers alleged. Barron said that Gray’s mother and supporters continue to meet with the community.

“He wasn’t a dog. You should have given him a chance,” Carol Gray told the AmNews in 2013. “One shot was enough. Too many families go through this same thing.”